HUGHESVILLE — Employees of the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative raised $65,000 for the Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee, the anti-poverty agency that serves low-income residents in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties, the utility announced Oct. 28.
SMECO said the money came from a recent employee fundraising event, which a caption on the co-op’s news releases page identifies as its Charity Golf Tournament. SMECO President and CEO Sonja Cox and Natalie Cotton, the co-op’s government and public affairs director, presented the gift to SMTCCAC President and CEO Michael Young, board Chair the Rev. Ernest Downs and board Vice Chair Ronald Clark.
The gift goes to one of the region’s oldest safety-net organizations. SMTCCAC is the community action agency for all three Southern Maryland counties and marked 50 years of service in 2015. Its programs listed with Maryland 211 include housing counseling and Head Start early education.
SMECO’s announcement did not say how the agency will use the $65,000.
A yearly tradition
The donation is the latest in a string of employee-led gifts from the cooperative, which picks a different cause each year. The amounts have climbed steadily:
- December 2023: $58,000 for mental health services
- January 2025: $60,000 split among the region’s three hospitals
- December 2025: $63,000 for local shelters
- October 2026: $65,000 for SMTCCAC
The co-op has also channeled outside money into local need. Last year it helped steer a CoBank grant to Southern Maryland hunger relief.
SMECO is a member-owned electric cooperative based in Hughesville that serves customers in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties and southern Prince George’s County. Residents who need help can find SMTCCAC’s programs through Maryland 211 by dialing 211.
